Dominant finish earns Gophers split with arch rival North Dakota

After a 5-2 loss to No. 8 North Dakota on Friday night, the No. 13 Minnesota Gophers men's hockey team responded with a dominant third period en route to a 5-1 victory over their rival Fighting Hawks on Saturday night in Grand Forks.

Tied 1-1 after two intense periods, Minnesota came out like a lightning bolt in the third period.

It took just 73 seconds for the Gophers to strike, with Max Rud scoring a goal to give Minnesota a 2-1 lead. Rud's first career college goal proved to be the game-winner.

After Brodie Lamb drew a penalty midway through the third, the Gophers went up 3-1 when Leo Grubar scored at 9:38 of the period. Lamb scored to make it 4-1 with just under five minutes to go, and LJ Mooney added an empty-net goal in the final 60 seconds to complete the third-period surge.

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— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) October 19, 2025

Minnesota and North Dakota have split each of the last four series, and the rivalry is guaranteed to continue each season through 2029.

Saturday's game was the 298th all-time meeting between the rivals, with the Gophers leading the all-time series 144-138-16.

"You know, we've been in that same position every game this year," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said of the game being tight until the final period. "Tonight, we had great resolve. And that was a big grow-up game for our team. It was a big win for us this stage of the season with the schedule we've had."

The Gophers have played a tough schedule, and it won't get much easier. They split with Michigan Tech to open the season and then went 0-1-1 against Boston College. Now, after a weekend at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, the Gophers will host Minnesota-Duluth this weekend before difficult matchups with Wisconsin (in Madison) and Notre Dame (in Minneapolis).

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